Federal Circuit Court

Federal appeals judge, 97, who refused to cooperate in fitness probe loses challenge to disability law

Updated: A federal judge has upheld a disability law used to suspend a 97-year-old federal appeals judge from hearing new cases while dismissing the remaining claims in her legal challenge.

Jul 9, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

Court scolds Weil partner for brief found to ‘incorporate by reference’ nearly 2,000 words from another document

A partner with Weil, Gotshal & Manges apparently missed an opinion telling his law firm that incorporating an argument by reference can’t be used to exceed word-count limits in briefs, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Feb 20, 2024 1:34 PM CST

Federal judge refuses to order reinstatement of 96-year-old federal appeals judge, her second loss in a week

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has refused to order reinstatement to new case assignments for a 96-year-old federal appeals judge who claims that the laws governing judicial disability are unconstitutional.

Feb 12, 2024 3:56 PM CST

Federal appeals judge, 96, fails to overturn suspension order for refusing to cooperate in fitness probe

A 96-year-old federal appeals judge who refused to cooperate with medical testing to determine her mental fitness for the bench has failed to persuade a reviewing body that she is entitled to resume deciding new cases.

Feb 7, 2024 3:32 PM CST

Quinn Emanuel disclosure order highlights relatively new product: judgment preservation insurance

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan must disclose terms of judgment preservation insurance that it allegedly bought before distributing a $185 million fee award to partners, according to a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge.

Jan 31, 2024 3:39 PM CST

How fully remote work has enabled me to thrive in the face of adversity

My daughter was diagnosed with cancer on Nov. 2, 2020. She had just turned 3 months old. I was visiting my family in Idaho while on maternity leave from my BigLaw job in Washington, D.C., when we got the news. Devastated and confused, we took her to St. Luke’s Children’s Cancer Institute in Boise and barely emerged for months.

Nov 27, 2023 11:28 AM CST

Speaking at ABA meeting, federal appeals judge, 96, doesn’t address her suspension but mentions opinion pace

A judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sidestepped the controversy that has kept her from new case assignments during a keynote presentation at an ABA conference Friday.

Oct 16, 2023 8:20 AM CDT

How federal appeals judges’ opinions change as they get older

Older federal appeals judges are more likely to rely on “cognitive shortcuts” in their opinions than their younger counterparts, according to a study presented at a political science conference earlier this month.

Sep 26, 2023 9:41 AM CDT

Federal appeals judge, 96, suspended after refusing to cooperate in mental fitness probe

A 96-year-old federal appeals judge who may be experiencing “significant mental problems” has been suspended from case assignments for a year after she refused to cooperate in a probe of her fitness for the bench, according to a Sept. 20 order.

Sep 20, 2023 12:47 PM CDT

Investigations of federal judges are rare and should happen more, former clerk says

The investigation of federal judges falls under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, and it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should, says the president and founder of the Legal Accountability Project.

Aug 28, 2023 8:16 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Hunter Biden prosecutor elevated to special counsel; Charles Ogletree dies

Hunter Biden prosecutor given special counsel status

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that he has appointed the U.S. attorney investigating Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden,…

Aug 11, 2023 1:43 PM CDT

Federal appeals judge should be suspended for failing to cooperate in mental fitness probe, report says

A special committee appointed to investigate the competence of a 96-year-old federal appeals judge is recommending that she be suspended from hearing all cases for a year for failing to cooperate in the probe.

Aug 4, 2023 1:04 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: 96-year-old judge must mediate suit to keep job; DOJ reverses stance on Trump shield

Mediation ordered in judge’s bid to keep job

A 96-year-old judge on the Federal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Pauline Newman, must mediate her lawsuit seeking to stay on the…

Jul 14, 2023 2:15 PM CDT

Lawyer for federal appeals judge barred from new cases finds orders ‘incredible’ and ‘stunning’

A lawyer representing a 95-year-old federal appeals judge is criticizing a judicial council’s refusal to assign her new cases and an investigating committee’s new focus on her failure to cooperate.

Jun 8, 2023 8:58 AM CDT

SCOTUS will consider First Amendment right to trademark ‘Trump too small’ without Trump’s consent

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the First Amendment was violated when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused to register a trademark for the slogan “Trump too small.”

Jun 6, 2023 8:46 AM CDT